Ragazza Stupida
by MizHyde
Summary: Sequel to In Visible Light. "She opted to play coy. It was the only chance she was going to have to get him back. But would it work. Or had she lost him to her?"
1. Chapter 1

Cristina Cannellucci sighed, leaning back against her seat. She no longer wanted to be inside of the airplane she was currently in, on a flight back to her hometown of Palermo, Italy. To see her mother Giovanna, her father Giuseppe and her brother Andrea, who missed her so very much. It had been around eighteen months since she had seen them, since she had left for Los Angeles, California, halfway around the world in America.

Her English had gotten better, though her accent was still very thick. It still made her just a little bit self conscious. Going home for a week would fix that. Sometimes people still had trouble understanding her, but she was pretty good at getting her point across. She worked as an interviewer for _Kerrang!_ Magazine, one of the top hard rock/alternative/metal magazines in the world. Cristina loved her job; loved interviewing musicians that she completely idolized.

On the plane, she was reading the biography of Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones, dressed comfortably in her favourite black drawstring pants and a white wife-beater top that did nothing to hide the fact that her bra was hot pink. Her black hair was back in a high, sloppy ponytail; she wore not a stitch of makeup, but it didn't matter; she was still beautiful.

Beside her on the plane sat her boyfriend, Mike Mizanin, a wrestler for the WWE. He had finally gotten some time off to fly overseas and meet her family. They had been talking about it seriously for six months. He was reading about the rise and fall of some organization called ECW, his headphones loud in his ears. Cristina couldn't help but be a little embarrassed to hear House of Pain blaring in his headset. "_Jump around, jump around - jump up, jump up and get down!"_ Cristina bit the inside of her cheek to suppress her laughter. She liked to pick on him about his love for early nineties hip hop, but she had to admit she was impressed with his German. He didn't know what anything he was saying meant, but he could sing to Rammstein right down to the letter.

Life had been a whirlwind of wonder, despair and surprise for Cristina in the past eighteen months. It was only sixteen months ago that she had found her soul mate - completely by accident - in the form of Mike, who had moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Los Angeles. He was a sweetheart, a nice guy with a heart of gold, with blonde hair, blue eyes. Mike was muscular, over-the-top and possessed a great sense of humour. He had spent time doing MTV reality shows before becoming a professional wrestler, and had even reached the pinnacle as champion for a few months.

When Cristina had met Mike, he had been in an eight month relationship with one of his co-workers, a woman by the name of Maryse Ouellet. Cristina had to admit that Maryse was beautiful, with white-blonde hair, exotic eyes and a rock hard body that would turn any man to mush. She was the trophy wife kind of woman, and her and Mike seemed to be trapped in a violent, possessive relationship that had benefited Maryse more than it had Mike, who had shelled out thousands on diamonds for Maryse every time she had gotten incensed with him. It didn't take long for Maryse to become jealous of Mike and Cristina's friendship, even though Maryse was the one cheating on Mike with multiple co-workers.

Not long after they had met, after their friendship had become more and more established, Mike had shown up at Cristina's apartment. He had been drunk, confessing to her that Maryse had been cheating on him. Humiliated, heartbroken and desolate, he and Cristina had made love, even though Cristina had been hesitant about doing anything with Mike in such a fragile state.

Things became weird after that. Cristina had been unsure where she had stood with Mike; he had more or less disappeared with her life to try and get himself in order. Six weeks after their night together, Cristina had discovered that she had become pregnant. The news had come as a severe shock to Cristina, who was terrified that Mike had abandoned her to get back together with Maryse.

Unaware Cristina had been pregnant, Maryse had tracked her down to tell Cristina that she and Mike were going to stay together. During the meeting, Cristina had suffered a miscarriage at the hands of Maryse. It surprised Cristina that the pain had still stayed with her, especially because she hadn't really wanted to become pregnant. Since her last scare a year before, Cristina was finally taking precautions, but it did nothing to ease her paranoia.

When the smoke had finally cleared with Maryse, Mike and Cristina found themselves together, much to the approval of their friends Alex Riley and Eve Torres. For the first time in her life, Cristina finally understood to feel complete soul-baring, heart-wrenching love that consumed her like a fire. Every day that passed, Cristina found herself falling for Mike more and more.

"What are you thinking?" Mike whispered to her. She peered over from her book.

"I'm sick of being on a plane. Excited to be going home. Andrea is going to freak out when he meets you, I hope you know." Mike laughed. Going to meet Cristina's family had made him nervous initially, but she assured them that they were harmless. The idea of going on a romantic getaway to Italy with Cristina was definitely something he had been looking forward to for a long time.

Sometimes, she came on the road with him. Everybody did a good job of keeping Maryse away from her. She had yet to meet Vince McMahon himself, though everyone described him as "larger than life". Natalya had introduced Cristina to Beth Phoenix, who had become another good friend to Cristina. Once a month, Natalya, Beth and Eve insisted on doing girl's nights with Cristina, where they fiddled around with Cristina's hair, makeup and gave her all sorts of advice about beauty things she didn't really pay attention to. Mike liked that she had been making friends. Everybody backstage felt that Cristina was a step above Maryse.

Mike leaned over and kissed the side of her head. "Only two more hours, Cristina."

"I think we should stop for pizza when we get off the plane. I'm starved."

"Real Italian pizza? I'm in."

"If it's food, you're in," Cristina teased, sticking her tongue out at him. Mike smirked. There wasn't a mean-spirited bone in her body. He loved that Cristina always had a smile. She was a true partner in every sense of the word.

After she had moved in with Mike, they had decided to move into a new place. To rid any reminder of Maryse out of their environment. They lived in a nice, two storey house with the white picket fence. Cristina had thought it was a cute feature. She had been so reluctant to give up her old little apartment, but Mike knew he never wanted to let her slip through his fingers. He had almost screwed up once; now he was going to hold on for dear life.

Thanks to Cristina's booking, they landed in Palermo in the daylight. The air was hot and sticky, but Cristina and Mike didn't care. They were just happy to get off of the airplane.

****

Vince McMahon was still sitting backstage at the _Raw_ show, mulling over creative plans for people on the roster. His makeshift office was set up to keep him sated through the night, complete with a wooden desk, wheeled chair, a TV and catering. He raised his head when there was a knock on the door. "Yes?"

The door opened. It was Natalya, the company's first third-generation Diva, dressed in a white T-shirt and bell-bottomed jeans. Natalya was wheeling her suitcase behind her. She had just gotten out of the shower; her hair was wet. Her blonde and pink streaked hair was back in a high ponytail. She was putting on her denim jacket. "You're still here, Vince? It's two AM!"

"I could ask why you're still here. Do you not have a life or something?" He teased. Natalya laughed, closing the door behind her.

"Beth and I crammed in a last minute workout before going back to the hotel. I saw your light was on. Just wanted to check in." Vince smiled; sometimes his employees were quite thoughtful. Especially these days now that he was finally starting to show his age. She entered his office and sat down in the chair across from him. She slid a folder over to herself and opened it, her eyes scanning over the contents of the folder. Her face darkened incredulously. "What? Vince, you can't put Mike and Maryse together. Promise me you aren't going to do that. Do _not_ let Hayes put them back together."

"Well, with R-Truth suspended and A-Ri out injured, I thought he could use somebody else. If you aren't thinking about Maryse, then who would you suggest, Nattie?"

"I don't know, but you've obviously been living under a rock. Mike and Maryse had a very, very nasty break-up a while back, and he cannot be in the same room with her _still_." Vince rolled his eyes.

"So do you have a better idea, Nattie?"

"Well, why not his new girlfriend?"

"Who's he dating now?" Sometimes he had a hell of a time keeping track of who was dating who backstage. He didn't really like the idea of people dating in their own backyard - his daughter Stephanie had fallen victim to that, much to his chagrin - but he knew that he couldn't control _everything_ backstage.

"She's not in this business, Vince."

"Nat…"

"She works for _Kerrang! _Magazine. That's one of the biggest rock magazines in the country. She's also full-on Italian. Think about it - you may get some publicity from the magazine, plus you'd find a nice niche in the Italian market." Vince sat for a moment, contemplating what she was telling him.

"I'm impressed with your business acumen, Nattie. You may just be on the wrong side of the camera," he teased. "I guess I should give Mike a call when he gets back from Palermo and run it by him. What is his girlfriend's name?"

"Here." She dug into her suitcase and pulled out the past month's issue of _Kerrang!, _where Cristina had interviewed Evanescence's Amy Lee and Canadian death metal band Kittie. Vince looked at her picture.

"Cristina Cannellucci, huh? Very beautiful girl. I guess I will most definitely have to call him when he gets back. How has this thing stayed under our radar?" Natalya laughed, standing. "Thank you, Nattie, you fixed up one thing for my night. Drive safe."

"You, too. Don't spend all night here. Get some sleep." He nodded and she disappeared from his office. Vince leaned back in his chair. _Yep, I'm brilliant. _

****

Inside of her beautiful home, in her beautiful golden-tiled bathroom, Maryse Ouellet leaned back in her bubble bath, twirling a glass of white wine in her fingertips, thinking about how far her life has fallen in the past year. Since Mike had met the Italian bimbo. Cristina.

Things were falling apart for her and Dolph Ziggler. He was a "friends with benefits" kind of guy, nowhere near having a serious relationship. She had gotten her hopes up, thinking when he had left his girlfriend that he would get together with her. But he hadn't. He just wanted to screw around. She was pretty sure she wasn't his only one, but her "what happens between us, stays between us" rule was keeping her from demanding answers.

Backstage, her allies were even beginning to turn on her, especially when Melina found out that her boyfriend John, fed up with Melina's constant unfaithfulness, had taken up sleeping with Maryse. In front of the camera, Maryse's push had been seemingly stalled. She felt like she was starting to go nowhere, and was even thinking of taking up her modelling again just to fill up her time. Show Mike what he's been missing.

She preferred John in bed to Mike, but the reality was that Mike spoiled her. He was a nicer guy, easier to control and manipulate. He never liked to let her go to bed angry. Mike put up with her craziness and bought her diamonds and jewellery that she still absolutely adored. He hadn't even asked for any of it back after they had split.

Nobody was buying her gifts anymore. Maryse hated that. She stared at the diamond necklace on the bathroom counter. It had been the last gift Mike had bought her before he had Alex Riley spy on her. When he had found out about her and Chris Masters and Dolph Ziggler. An embarrassed blush burned her cheeks as she recalled seeing the pictures when she returned to Mike's house. He hadn't even wanted an explanation; he had just demanded that she left. Any excuse to go and be with _her_.

Now, Mike lived in a beautiful house with Cristina. They had moved out of the old house and into a new place where Mike didn't have to be reminded of _her_. Maryse couldn't figure out what Cristina's appeal was. The girl obviously didn't work out, didn't have any sort of volume to her hair, her brown eyes were dull, her breasts not as perky as Maryse's.

Maryse sighed in disgust. Everything sucked these days. She needed to figure out a way to get Mike back. She had been without him for over a year now, and it still bothered her to see him happy with somebody else. She wasn't ready to let him go. Of course, she knew she should. But she didn't want to. She definitely wanted to know what he saw in Cristina that he didn't see in her.

Leaning back further into the bubbles, she thought about what it would be like to prove to Mike that Miss Cristina wasn't as perfect as he thought she was. The music journalist; her name was starting to become known in Maryse's circles and she hated it. Spitefully, she would announce that Cristina had stolen her boyfriend, but nobody seemed to care. She wished _somebody_ cared.

Eve Torres loved to gloat. She never liked the fact that her friend was dating Maryse anyway. Mike had ignored Eve, but the constant fighting between them had created a rift that Mike didn't want to stay around and repair. These days, he wouldn't even give her a second look. She wished he would. Maryse never thought in a million years that she would want him to acknowledge her so desperately.


	2. Chapter 2

Cristina's mother lived on the edge of Palermo, in a small white one storey house that was trimmed with brown and a shingle roof. The afternoon air was hot and sticky, the sky a beautiful blue. Mike was enraptured by the beautiful scenery. "I hope your family likes me," Mike said nervously. They were driving in a rental car, a convertible, with Disturbed's "The Night" blaring from the speakers. Cristina had put the kibosh on any more House of Pain.

"You will be fine, Michael. I promise." But even Cristina was unsure. Her mother Giovanna hadn't exactly been happy to hear that her daughter was moving in with Mike. She knew her mother wasn't an idiot; she knew that her daughter and Mike were sleeping together, but as a traditional Roman Catholic woman, she felt Cristina needed to be married first. This could make for an awkward visit, but she at least hoped her mother would be a little bit easier on Mike than she had been over the phone with Cristina. Thankfully, Mike couldn't speak a lick of Italian, so it meant Cristina may have to be quick on her feet.

Pulling into the driveway, Cristina found her mother at the garden. Her brother Andrea, overexcited at the fact his sister's dating a WWE Superstar, was sitting in a lawn chair, dressed to the hilt in a ton of WWE merchandise. Mike couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous her brother looked. Cristina blushed. She hoped her family wouldn't embarrass her.

Andrea was on Mike's side in a flash, speaking in a flurry that Mike didn't understand. Cristina was flanked by her mother, who looked at Mike with a disapproving eye. Moving around the car, he took his place next to Cristina. "_Mama, questo e Michael_," Cristina informed her sheepishly. "Michael, this is my mother Giovanna."

"_Bonjourno,"_ Mike said humbly, shaking her hand. But she wasn't having any of it.

"_Perche non hai sposato mia figloia ancora?"_ she asked. Cristina's eyes widened. Mike knew that was never a good reaction. If only he knew that Giovanna Cannellucci was demanding to know why he hadn't married her daughter.

"What did she say?" Mike whispered.

"She asked about the flight," Cristina replied quickly.

"Oh. Tell her it was good."

"_Madre, per favore!"_ Mike knew that meant "Mother, please!" Obviously she hadn't been asking about the flight, but he let it slide. He felt so awkward being away from home, not knowing the language. It wasn't hard for him to understood how Cristina was feeling the first day that he had met her on the streets of Los Angeles, looking for some underground nightclub. Back then she had been working for some little underground magazine that was hoping to make it big. Last month, they had been forced to close their doors after posting a ton of losses. They barely had any consumers, in spite of Cristina's best efforts. It had hurt her to hear about it, but had made her all the more confident that she had signed on with _Kerrang_!

"_Sono un grande fan! Si sono impressionanti!"_ Andrea announced. Giovanna shot her son a look of reproach, but he ignored it. Mike looked at Cristina in utter confusion.

"He said he's a big fan. He thinks you're great."

"_Grazie."_

Giovanna invited Mike and Cristina into the house for tea, while Andrea watched Mike's every move with wide eyed interest. His first time meeting a WWE Superstar, he was absolutely stricken by the sheer presence of Mike, who seemed a little bit creeped out by Cristina's brother's fanaticism.

Inside the house smelled lovely. Mike was hungry again, even though only less than an hour before he had downed half a pizza. Cristina's mother was making a coffee cake for Mike and Cristina's arrival. She put water on for tea, muttering under her breath how shameful it was that he had not put a ring on Cristina's finger. If only her mother knew she hadn't been chaste and virginal when she had left Italy…

Cristina offered an awkward, wry smile at Mike, who looked even more awkward than she did. Okay, so he knew a few small words here and there, but the big stuff - the marriage stuff her mother was going to hammer into her all week - he thankfully couldn't understand. She would die of embarrassment if he understood.

With the coffee cake served and the tea and coffee on the table, Cristina and her mother began talking about her work for _Kerrang!_, and all the musicians she had the opportunity to interview. She showed her mother pictures of the house she had taken with her camera. While she was unhappy with the untraditional approach Mike and Cristina were taking in their relationship, she had to admit that she was impressed with the house.

She asked Mike what he did for a living. Cristina was forced to translate. "I'm a professional wrestler," Mike explained, pointing to Andrea's ridiculous attire. Cristina translated - complete with motioning at her brother - and her mother nodded. She asked Cristina again why they were not married, and even went so far as to suggest that they get married in Italy. Cristina rolled her eyes and argued a bit with her mother, making Mike feel all the more uncomfortable.

* * *

><p>"And she hates me," Mike said, flopping down onto the couch. Dinner had been great; a baked ziti with a beautiful tossed salad straight out of Giovanna's garden. It seemed like no matter how much Mike complimented Cristina's mother, however, the more irritated with him she got. He didn't remember Maryse's parents being so tough. Hell, he didn't remember any of his old girlfriend's parents being so rough on him, and one had kept a shotgun above his fireplace.<p>

With the sun faded behind the horizon, Giovanna had gone outside to do some last minute watering before bed, and Andrea had gone home to his father, but not before getting a couple photographs and an autograph to show his friends. It was impossible for Cristina to not feel absolutely embarrassed by her family. As per Giovanna's rules - since they weren't married - Mike was stuck sleeping on the couch, and Cristina got her old bedroom, left just the way she had left it when she had gone to America, complete with her gothic metal and industrial posters all over the wall.

"She doesn't hate you. She's just very traditional. My dad will tell you - it was like pulling teeth to get her to grant him the divorce," Cristina replied. "She wants what's best for me, but she's unaware of how…_unorthodox_ things are in America. It's not you. It's a difference in society, Michael. I'm sorry it's such an awkward experience for you."

"Don't worry about it. Look at the bright side - I am in one of the most beautiful places in the world, with the most beautiful woman in the world." She giggled. He wanted to put his arm around her and give her a hug, but Giovanna walked in. Whenever Cristina's mother was around, he was terrified to touch her. He half expected her to attack him with something.

"The Cannelluccis have no mafia affiliations, right?" Mike whispered. Cristina snickered, shaking her head. Mike breathed a sigh of relief. Giovanna sat down at the table. Cristina knew that she was going to be supervising them until Cristina went to bed. She felt like a teenager again.

"I should go to bed. It's the only thing that's going to get my mother off your back." Mike nodded, sighing. He kissed her forehead.

"Sweet dreams."

"You, too, Michael. I will see you in the morning." Her mother stood when Cristina began to make her way down the hallway. She shot one last fleeting look at Michael before disappearing. Mike released his tense breath when the bedroom door finally closed.

"Lame." No way had Cristina told her mother about the miscarriage. If she had, there's no doubt Mike would have even been able to step foot on the property. Giovanna Cannellucci was an imposing woman; he wondered if he was going to need to sleep with one eye open the entire night.

* * *

><p>Maryse was packing in her hotel room to go to <em>Raw<em>. Wade Barrett had just left. Maryse had planned on luring him into some encounter, but he hadn't been interested. He left, leaving her wondering if she was losing her touch.

Mike was in Palermo, Italy, one of the most beautiful places in the world, with _her_. It stung her; he had never taken her anywhere nice. No vacations. Just work. Work was the vacation. She was wearing the last necklace he had bought her. Fingering the giant diamond around her neck, she went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

She still looked as great as she did the day Mike had thrown her out of their home. "What does he see in her?" she demanded to her reflection. "What is wrong with _me_? I should be everything he ever wanted." Maryse turned around in the mirror, examining every great feature, reaffirming her belief that Mike was just slumming, sowing his oats. He'd come back to her. He'd never find another woman as beautiful and as enchanting as her. She'd be waiting with open arms when he was finished with the Cristina Cannellucci experiment.

Mike would be home in a week. Then he would be back on the road. She would have to play it coy, demure. It was the only way to get him back. She had to make him remember what they had been. What they could be.

She filled her suitcase with lingerie, books, pants, shorts and her ring gear, then went to her closet and chose a few glamorous looking dresses for her ring announcing duties on NXT. Checking her reflection in the full-length mirror on the closet door, she smirked. _Cristina Cannellucci can't stack up to me_, Maryse reassured herself, turning again to admire herself. _Everybody will see it. Maryse Ouellet may be down, but she's certainly not out_.

* * *

><p>Cristina tossed and turned in her bed. She had gotten so used to sleeping beside Mike that it was impossible for her to sleep without him. A part of her knew that her mother was going to be so conservative, but she didn't realize that she was going to instil the fear of God into Mike. She smiled to herself, thinking of how afraid he is to touch her in her mother's presence. Asking her about mafia affiliations, in case he needed to fear for his life. It was hard not to find his fear cute.<p>

She thought about her relationship with Mike, staring into the dark ceiling. At one point, she had been afraid that he had been obligated to stay with her because of the miscarriage, but he had dispelled that quickly. He seemed to love her for the way she was, something that she had never really been used to.

Rolling over, she thought about re-instating the dinners with Eve Torres and Alex Riley when they got home. She realized that she'd been feeling a bit isolated lately, and it was not Mike's fault. Work had just been consuming her. Cristina and Mike still watched a movie together every night, but she was always looking at the next step, what was going to make her more successful. Ambition was her drug, the reason she wanted to go to America to make it as a successful music journalist, since her musical ambitions were never fruitful in Italy.

With a deep sigh, she wondered what Mike was doing in the living room. She loved him so deeply that it hurt. Cristina wondered what it was about Maryse that had driven him to her. Their relationship had been so unstable, so hurtful. Even though she only had a small grip on English, she could sense that there was something amiss about the two of them. Especially by the reactions of Alex and Eve.

She ran her hands over her flat stomach. Sometimes it still bothered her, but she'd never tell Mike that. Maryse hadn't a clue that she had been pregnant, so she was doing her best not to blame her. She still had some burn scars on the back of her elbow and above her left kidney from the light bulb burning into her flesh. Forever reminders of tragedy. Tears burned at the back of Cristina's eyes. She had never known such pain before. Going through it was the absolute worst, but she didn't want to burden Mike with it. Especially because she hadn't really wanted to become pregnant. She had wanted to forge a career, find a mate, get married, settle down and then become a mother. Cristina Cannellucci wanted to accomplish a lot before having her first child, but when it had fallen on her, she was ready for it. At least, she hoped she was.

Her mother's demands that they get married were already wearing thin on her. But she had wanted to see everybody. Eighteen months had left her feeling homesick, and she was finally in a financial position where she could afford to fly home, even though Mike had paid for half of the trip. He had offered to pay the whole way, but Cristina couldn't let him do that. She didn't want him to think she was Maryse, having him buy her way through everything. But he told her he never could see her that way. To him, she was an angel, somebody who came along to show him how much better things could be.


	3. Chapter 3

Giuseppe and Andrea Cannellucci met Cristina and Mike at the front of the yard when they arrived the following day. Giuseppe lived in a two story house that was painted in very light blue siding, with white shuttered windows and an immaculate lawn. Climbing out of the car, Mike was desperately praying that things with her father weren't going to be as awkward as things had been with her mother, although Cristina assured him that it wasn't going to be as awkward by any stretch of the imagination. "You've endured the worst," she promised him as they walked towards her father. Andrea pulling weeds in the garden.

"Gia! How are you?" She stopped, smiling.

"You've been working on your English."

"I got a little rusty, but I started busting my ass when you said you were bringing your American friend with you." Giuseppe Cannellucci worked for the United Nations as a translator. He extended his hand. "Hello. I'm Giuseppe, Gia and Andrea's father. I've seen you on television; both of my children seem to be very smitten with you," he teased with a wink. Mike laughed, feeling the air around him return.

"Hello. I'm Mike."

"How were things with your mother?" he asked. He looked at Mike. "Awkward?"

"You have no idea." Giuseppe laughed.

"I was married to her for sixteen years. I have a pretty good clue. Were you sleeping with one eye open last night?" Mike laughed. Giuseppe grinned. "Come on in, guys. I was thinking of grilling some burgers in honour of your friend. Welcome to our house, Mike."

"Thank you." Giuseppe summoned Andrea into the house, who followed right away. Mike turned to Cristina, a little bit mystified.

"How is it your dad is a translator, but your brother doesn't know any English?"

"Never wanted to learn. The Cannellucci men are very, very stubborn."

"Can't be as stubborn as your mother," Mike retorted. Cristina laughed and gave him a shove towards the front door. Mike couldn't believe the difference in atmosphere; Giovanna Cannellucci had him wound up tight like a stop watch, where Giuseppe Cannellucci had Mike comfortable. He stopped again. "Gia?"

"Gia is my first name. I go by Cristina. If I ever hear you calling me Gia…" she threatened. "My father is the only one that can get away with it, and that's because I know he can take me." Mike went to say something, but Giuseppe was in the doorway, calling to them to come inside. "Be right there." Mike smirked; he had leverage over Cristina now. Gia Cristina Cannellucci. Her name was still beautiful, no matter what came first.

* * *

><p>Natalya, Eve and Beth were sitting around in Eve's hotel room, having a makeshift girl's night, sorely missing the presence of Cristina Cannellucci. They were all dressed in their pyjamas, snacks in front of them, <em>Resident Evil: Afterlife<em> in the DVD player.

"How do you think their trip in Palermo is going?" Beth asked. Her golden blonde hair was back in a low ponytail, she was dressed in a pair of black and white print pants, a white shirt and a big, open pink terry cloth robe. She was drinking a glass of red wine that Eve had provided. They were talking about the trip because Cristina had confided in the girls before they had left about the fears she had that her mother would scare Mike away with her traditionalist views.

"I don't see why it wouldn't be going well," Eve replied, popping some popcorn in her mouth. She had the part of comfort down to a tee; dressed in pink, green and aqua shorts and a black tank, her brown hair in braided pigtails to keep from knotting. "After all, Mike only knows really, really basic Italian. Like, really small amount." Cristina had been teaching Eve how to speak Italian - at Eve's request, of course - and Eve was excelling really well. "If she wants to keep it less than awkward, though, let's hope she's a fast thinker." The girls laughed.

"That's probably a good thing if Cristina thinks her mother is going to be hammering in on marriage the whole time," Natalya replied, sipping on a lime beer. "Seriously, though - you ever think he will marry her? He is so smitten with her, it's insane! I've never seen him act this way with any other woman. Plus, I think she would fill out a wedding dress amazingly!" Maryse seemed to be the only one who thought that Cristina was fat. It was widely rejected by the Divas population.

"Thank God he got his head out of his ass," Eve replied with a roll of her eyes. "I would have hated to see what would have happened had he let her slip through his fingers. I don't think I ever would have forgiven him for it."

The other girls nodded. "They were there for each other when they both really needed it," Beth replied. "That's the beauty of their relationship. They get just how important they are to each other."

"Do you see the way Maryse looks at him now? Christ, you'd think Dolph and John keep her busy," Beth replied with a roll of her eyes.

"She wants what she can't have. I've seen her type a million times," Eve replied with a shrug. "He won't go back to her - not knowing how great it could be with Cristina."

"We may just have to be around to kick his ass in the event he even thinks about that again."

* * *

><p>John Morrison was cleaning up in the shower. Maryse was flipping through the channels on the hotel room TV. With Melina getting released, it had become a lot easier for them to carry on. She rested on an old <em>I Love Lucy<em> rerun. The show bored the hell out of her, but at this time there was nothing else on.

Every muscle in her body ached. The King of Parkour was always a workout and a half. _No need to go to the gym tomorrow_, she thought wryly. She tucked a strand of her bleached hair behind her ear. After his shower he would be leaving. No feeling attached. Maryse was his revenge lay; whenever he heard about Melina screwing around, he came to Maryse for "comfort". She was more than all right with sticking it to Melina, who had once slept with one of Maryse's old boyfriends when she had started on _SmackDown_. It was a strange component of their frenemy relationship. Neither side would confront the other; they'd just take it in silence and plot revenge.

It was damn near impossible to get her mind off of Mike. She wanted to start setting her plan to get him back as soon as possible. _He's spent long enough with her. It's time to come home. _

The bathroom door opened and John emerged, dressed in a pair of jeans and a tight T-shirt. He started putting on his shoes. "Same time next week?" Maryse inquired, her French accent thick with exhaustion. He nodded, tying up his right shoe and then his left.

"Sure. I don't have any issues with that. Meet at the hotel after _Raw?"_ she nodded.

"I'll text you my room number. You can join me there after." He nodded, sliding on his jacket and leaving. Maryse sighed and leaned back. She enjoyed having a harem of men to serve her every need. Diamonds, sex and money were a woman's best friend in Maryse's mind. She flipped through the channels absently again before shutting off the TV and going to sleep.

* * *

><p>When the dusk settled, Cristina phoned her mother to inform her that she would be spending the night at her father's. She blushed as her mother chastised her to be a good girl before hanging up. She had another five days of enduring her mother's nitpicking before Mike and Cristina climbed back onto a plane, headed back for America. Cristina couldn't wait to get home to sleep in her own bed, to get back to work. The staff at <em>Kerrang!<em> was talking about sending Cristina to the Wacken open air festival in the summertime, something Cristina would give her right arm to go to. All of the best metal acts played at Wacken.

While Mike was taking a shower, Cristina was sitting outside with her father. Andrea was watching TV inside, wearing a brand new Zack Ryder T-shirt that he had begged his father for. As the sun was setting below the horizon, Giuseppe and Cristina had some much needed father-daughter time. They spoke to one another in Italian, not needing to worry about translating for Mike.

"How is life in America, Gia? Level with me."

"Complicated, but it's working out," she confessed. "I'm working for one of the world's biggest rock music magazines. I may not be a rock star, but I can sure cover them." He laughed.

"This Michael…he treats you well?"

"Very well, Dad."

"Do you love him?"

"Very much. And I know he loves me."

"Don't let your mother get to you, Cristina. We weren't exactly saints when we started out. We lived in sin. Your mother and I…we did not wait until marriage."

"Dad! Awkward!"

"It's true. I'm just saying, she's being very hypocritical to put all of her venom on Mike. Perhaps, though, it's not even about Mike and your relationship so much as it's you left for America and became successful. She may have hoped that you would have come home by now."

"I think that, too." Her mother had not been happy with the fact that she decided to go to America. It didn't help Cristina didn't talk it through with anybody, she just did it in secret for the fear that somebody would talk her out of it. It had been hard watching her mother wail and cry, but she couldn't really do anything about it. Cristina was twenty, free to do whatever she wanted.

"How have you been?" Cristina had told her father the entire saga of how she and Mike had gotten together. She was close enough with her more liberal father that she didn't have to leave any details out. He hadn't judged her, like she was afraid he would. Instead, he only offered her sympathy. She sighed.

"I have my days. Some days, I'm okay. Other days, I just don't know how to face the world. I never thought that it would stay with me like this." He nodded.

"It stayed with your mother for years. She miscarried between you and Andrea, but you were too little to remember. She didn't want to try again for a long time. It's why the age gap between you and Andrea is so wide. Giovanna didn't want to risk it again; it had hurt her so much. You remember, but you get past it, Gia - I promise you that." He refilled Cristina's wine glass and his own. "How did Mike take the news?"

"Things were complicated with us at the time, as you know. He was pretty upset. Especially because he found out through a mutual friend. I should have told him, but again…complications."

"Well, things obviously smoothed themselves out. I can tell he's absolutely taken by you, Gia. You may not know it, but you've got him wrapped around your little finger. You've always had that effect on men, though. I was terrified when you became a teenager." He had been called to the hospital after her first time with Carlo Righetti, when the condom had gotten stuck. Carlo had left her at the hospital, leaving, not wanting anything to do with the complication. She had been eighteen and too terrified to call her mother. Her father had picked her up and never uttered a word about the embarrassing situation to anybody, something Cristina was eternally thankful for.

"I was a good teenager," Cristina said in her defence. He nodded.

"Sure, you had your bands, but I could see the way the guys looked at you. Then that Carlo…" Cristina face-palmed, her father laughed. "Mike's a hell of a step up from Carlo, Gia."

"I know that one."

"What were you thinking?"

"Oh, like you never did anything dumb when you were that age." He laughed, nodding. She had a fair point. At her age, he had been sleeping with anything he could nail down. He had been a typical young adult male, a rebel, not caring for authority or anything else.

The back door opened and Mike came out, looking refreshed, albeit a little jetlagged. Cristina flashed him a smile and the conversation flashed back to English. "How was your shower, Mike?"

"Good, thank you. I really needed that, but - no offence, Cris - Giovanna scares me half to death. I kind of expect the _Psycho _treatment." Cristina had finally recently seen the movie, and she laughed with her father. Mike sat down in an empty lawn chair and Giuseppe poured him a glass of wine.

"We were just talking about old times," Giuseppe informed him. "What were you like at eighteen?" Mike sipped his wine, thinking about his answer.

"I was ambitious at eighteen. Thinking about becoming somebody. Moved to Los Angeles. Got on _The Real World_. Created the Miz." _Jesus, I've done a lot with my life, _Mike thought, sitting back, sipping his red wine. Cristina smiled. "What was Cristina like at eighteen?"

"She wanted to be a rock star. She wrote music, played piano. Cristina's a very talented piano player, but she won't play anymore. I always hoped that she would have pursued her music, but she got bitten by the journalism bug. Which is just as good," he added. "I'm very proud of my daughter."

"I am, too. She's so driven. That's one of the big things I love about her."

"I'll be right back," Cristina said, standing. She went into the house, leaving Mike alone with her father, who had already drank at least a good three and a half glasses of some of the strongest red wine Mike had ever tasted.

"She's absolutely smitten with you, you know that right?" He nodded. "I don't know what complications there were between you two, but you don't intend on hurting her, do you?"

"No. Not at all, Mr. Cannellucci. I don't know what I would do without her," he confessed sheepishly. Giuseppe smiled; the beauty of young love. He had noticed the radiant aura that had surrounded his daughter the second that she had stepped out of the car. Mike Mizanin was agreeing with her. "In fact, I wanted to talk to you about something kind of important…"


	4. Chapter 4

The Divas locker room was in a chatter about Mike and Cristina's getaway. It was a discussion that was hard for Maryse to handle, making her want to put a hole through a wall, or - even better - someone's face. Beth and Natalya and Eve were chattering wildly about how romantic Mike must be to take her to her home city of Palermo to visit her family. They were always going on and on about how Cristina was just so perfect. It made Maryse feel sick.

WWE had rolled into the Arrowhead Pond arena for a house show. Tomorrow the Divas could all return home to their family and enjoy three days off before they were set to go out on the road again. The main event was set to be a tag match between David Otunga and Justin Gabriel, taking on CM Punk and John Cena.

Eve had been harbouring a lot of ill will towards Maryse since she figured out the truth behind Cristina's miscarriage. Sure, Cristina wasn't blaming Maryse because Maryse hadn't known, but Eve knew that Maryse had no business putting her hands on Cristina. Maryse was just a bully. She checked her reflection in the mirror and fluffed her light brown hair. "I think he's going to propose to her soon." Alicia Fox clapped her hands together in glee. _Traitor, _Maryse thought bitterly.

"Do you think they're that traditional?"

"No way is he going to let her slip through his fingers," Natalya replied excitedly. "He almost did it once. He won't do it again."

"Oh, could you guys just _shut up_?" Maryse snarled with a roll of her eyes.

"Six guys and you're still bitter about the one that dumped your ass," Eve retorted. Maryse moved towards Eve with purpose, drawing her hand back and slapping her. Eve grabbed a clump of Maryse's hair and yanked, while Beth and Natalya tried to pull Eve off of Maryse. Brie and Nikki Bella, along with Alicia, tried to pull Maryse away from Eve, but was only succeeding at Maryse's extensions getting ripped out.

When they were finally pulled apart, Eve held long strands of Maryse's hair in her hands, while Maryse was fuming behind the barrier of the Bella Twins and Alicia Fox. "Who's waiting for you tonight, Maryse? Is it Dolph? Or how about Swagger?" Eve taunted, waving her extensions in front of her face. Maryse charged again, but the girls held her back. With a grin, Eve turned on her heels and left the Divas locker room with Beth and Natalya in tow. Maryse went to go after her, but Brie and Nikki each held her by an arm.

"You stupid bitch! You'll pay!" Maryse threatened, "Just see if you don't!"

* * *

><p>On day three, Cristina and Mike fell into her father's spare bedroom, exhausted from their day of travel. They had gone to one of Palermo's most famous theatres to watch her mother's dress rehearsal for her new opera. Her mother was a director of the show. She had hammered in the marriage thing again, made Mike feel like he should be living in perpetual fear, and then they had left for a romantic dinner date and to see one of the oldest churches in Palermo.<p>

Back at her father's house, she curled up beside Mike, resting her head on his chest, her arm encircling his stomach. "I'm sorry about my mother," Cristina apologized. "I didn't realize she would have you fearing for your life."

"It's all right. I figured it would be just a little bit awkward. Your dad seems to like me."

"He really likes you. He told me so," she answered. "I'm sure my mother likes you, too. She's just getting old and set in her ways." Mike laughed. "Thank you for coming with me, Michael. This is really a beautiful trip."

"I didn't want to miss this for the world," he replied. "Any word on Wacken?"

"Not yet. They should let me know by the end of the month. God, I would love to go to Wacken. All the best metal bands play." Mike nodded. Cristina already promised him her guest pass. It meant he got to travel a lot during the summer. But the word going around was that Rammstein was going to play. He'd seen them before, but he always enjoyed seeing them in concert.

He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back, thinking of the conversation he had with her father. It had been awkward for him, but Giuseppe Cannellucci had been surprisingly relaxed about things. Nothing seemed to faze the guy.

Vince had left him a voice message. He said that he had something to talk to Mike about when they got back from Italy. He wanted Mike to bring Cristina with him. Why, Vince didn't elaborate, but he informed Mike that it would be worth his while if Cristina came along. Mystified, Cristina had agreed. Travel, travel, travel. At least they were going to have a couple days to stay in bed and sleep the jetlag off. Mike's body was still kicking and screaming about the jetlag. Same with Cristina, who had been suffering the worst bout of insomnia since landing in Italy.

"Do you ever think about moving back here?" Mike asked. Cristina shook her head.

"I like my American life."

"Oh yeah?"

"_Si_." Her words made him feel better. He pulled her even closer than before. She fell asleep in minutes, the jetlag and the business of the day wearing on her. In minutes, Mike fell asleep as well.

* * *

><p>"Do you think Vince is going to do it?"<p>

"What? Bring in Cristina? He'd be an idiot not to. She's fucking hot!" Beth replied with a laugh. It was another girl's night, this time with Alicia Fox involved. Eve had become something of a legendary Diva in the locker room for ripping Maryse's hair out. Maryse's bitterness over the end of her relationship with Mike had been driving everybody backstage crazy. For the past year, she had become intolerable.

"Do you think Maryse is planning something?" Alicia asked. Beth shrugged.

"More than likely. Maryse was a total bitch to Mike, though. I can't see him being all that inclined to run back to her, especially if you saw the way that Cristina dotes on him. Running back to Maryse is definitely the last thing he wants to be doing." Alicia nodded.

Eve dropped a big pile of candy in the middle of the hotel room floor. Beth grabbed an individually wrapped Reese's peanut butter cup and popped it into her mouth. "Do you think he loves Cristina?" Alicia asked.

"Oh, without a doubt," Eve replied, grabbing a set of rockets. "She's got him wrapped around her finger. The best part? She never asks him for anything. He's not constantly shelling out for possessions to make her happy like he did with Maryse. God, how many times did I have to go out and help him pick necklaces and earrings for that ungrateful brat?"

"I can't believe he didn't ask for any of that back after they split," Alicia replied. Beth and Natalya nodded their heads incredulously; there were thousands of dollars in diamonds that Mike had spent on Maryse that she had gotten to keep in the split. Eve shrugged.

"He just wanted her gone. Possessions are possessions."

"Fair point," Beth replied.

"I remember the day that she had to move out," Eve replied. "I got to go and sit with Mike and make sure she didn't try anything to stay. She had put up one hell of a fight to try and stay." Eve shook her head, sipping on her root beer. "I always knew Mike was going to end up with Cristina, but God, what a complicated road to get there. Mike needs to learn to be a little bit more blunt about things." Eve sat back. Instead of a movie, Beth Phoenix had brought some punk CD her boyfriend wanted her to check out. They were all listening to it, drinking beer and eating candy. It was their one time a week on the road where they all got to feel like teenagers again.

* * *

><p>Maryse leaned back in her bubble bath, twirling her glass of red wine around her fingertips. Her head still burned from where Eve had ripped out several strands of her hair. She was fuming, her ego was stinging that Eve had gotten such a cheap shot at her expense. In front of all the other Divas, no less. Oh, how she hated Eve Torres. She hoped somebody would vaporize her.<p>

She had received several texts from some of the men on the roster, asking if she was in the mood to hook up, but not tonight. Tonight was the night where she could lick her wounds and seethe. Try and repair what was left of her ever-fracturing ego.

She had brought her iPod stereo into the bathroom with her. Lady Gaga was wailing about being on the edge of glory. Maryse wished she could say the same. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Here she was, sitting in a hot tub of bubbled water, with a burning head and a broken heart, while Mike was halfway across the world in bed with some music journalist he became infatuated with. She knew there was a reason why she wanted him to stay away from her. Cristina Cannellucci had spelled bad news for their relationship from the second Maryse had found her number in his phone.


	5. Chapter 5

With the sun high in the sky Friday afternoon, Cristina and Mike arrived home from the airport. By Monday, the happy couple were in Salt Lake City, Utah, for Monday night _Raw_. Mike was dressed down in his typical suit - the look of a champion, he always informed a giggling Cristina - while Cristina was dressed casually in black jeans and a navy sweater, her hair pinned back with a butterfly clip. They were both still jetlagged and exhausted from the flight, but Mike was happy to be home, where people spoke English and he didn't feel like a complete outsider.

Beth Phoenix, Eve and Natalya squealed in delight when they saw Cristina on his arm. Breezing right past Mike, they played pass-around with Cristina, hugging her, jumping up and down in excitement. Cristina felt dizzy with joy; it was infectious. "Oh, my God, Mike brought you!" Beth shrieked. "You have to tell us about Palermo! Tell me you took a _ton_ of pictures!" Cristina fished into her purse and pulled out her metallic red Canon camera. The Divas went up in cheers of delight.

"I will have to show you later, though. Vince wants to meet with Michael and I. Why he needs to speak with me as well, I don't know," Cristina confessed. It was bothering her; Mike didn't even seem to know what Vince wanted with her. At first, she thought he had been lying, but it didn't take her long to realize that he was being genuine. The girls nodded, wishing them luck before disappearing down the hallway. Cristina thought she was crazy, but she could have sworn that Natalya winked at her. Cristina opened her mouth to say something, but she and Mike were already walking down the hallway towards Vince's makeshift office.

Vince McMahon stood as they entered. Cristina found he truly was a larger than life figure. "Mike! Great, you're here." He shook hands with Cristina. "Pictures don't do you justice, Miss Cannellucci. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Cristina couldn't help but blush and be flattered. She thanked him. "Please, have a seat. I promise you two that this little impromptu meeting will be worth your while." Staring at one another in confusion, they sat down.

"How was Italy?" Vince asked.

"Beautiful," Cristina answered.

"Like a dream," Mike replied. Vince smiled. She was a dark beauty, with dark exotic eyes and lips that seemed to always curl up in a smile. Vince leaned back against his chair, swivelling the wheels from side to side.

"Mike, we would like to put you with another manager, what with R-Truth being gone for the interim and Alex Riley being injured." Cristina looked surprised; A-Ri had never said anything to her about being injured. "We think that a manager is just what you need to punch up your act."

"Who are you thinking about?"

"The pretty little thing sitting beside you." Mike looked at Cristina, who barely reacted. She didn't seem to catch what Vince was getting at.

"You want Cristina to join the company?" Mike asked. Vince nodded. "But she works for another organization." He couldn't see _Kerrang!_ magazine being all that happy with letting their best interviewer slip through their fingers for any period of time, let alone permanently.

"Yeah. It'll be a trial basis for about a month. I've already run it by your magazine, Cristina, and they're good with it if you are. We have a deal arranged if you agree." Mike shook his head; of course Vince had this all planned out in advance. He was one of the most calculated human beings he knew.

Cristina was shocked. Her words barely came out. "You want me to wrestle?"

"No, no. Just manage. We would love to have you on board." Mike looked excited at the idea.

"Mike, what do you think?"

"I think it's up to you," he said, but she could see a sparkle in his eyes. He was very receptive to the idea. She would be travelling with Mike for a month, same hotels, same places. They would be inseparable. Cristina had to admit it would be nice; after all, Mike was on the road at least two hundred and fifty days a year. It would be nice to see him a bit more.

"My boss…what is this deal you two have proposed?" Cristina asked.

"The music of WWE," Vince McMahon exclaimed with a thunderous clap of our hands. You can talk to our musical director, have unlimited access to our Superstars and our Diva, and get two paycheques at the same time. Not only that, but I'm sure you'd like to have Mike around more." He was selling this hard, Mike could tell. Mike still couldn't figure out how to gauge Vince. How long had he been sitting on this idea?

Cristina sighed. "You are absolutely certain that this is all right with Josef?"

"Yes," Vince replied. "We can call him right now if you want." Cristina nodded and Vince began dialling the number. After a few moments, the receptionist answered. "Hello there, it's Vince McMahon. I need to talk with Josef regarding Cristina Cannellucci." He held for a few moments.

"Hi, Vince."

"Josef, I'm sitting here with Cristina."

"Cristina! How was Palermo?"

"Beautiful, Sef. It felt nice to be home."

"What's up?"

"I made the offer to Cristina, but she's unsure of your stance on it. She wants to hear you give consent before she even thinks about making a decision."

"That sounds like Cris," Josef teased. "Cristina, Vince called me three days ago with the proposal and I think it's a terrific idea. So many great bands have worked with the company. As our best interviewer, I would love it if you did that."

"All right, Sef. I will."

"Great. We'll get you to do a cover shoot with us for next month's issue. We'll make it a huge spread." Cristina felt a little weird at the idea of being on the cover; she felt it was reserved for musicians. But she knew better than to argue with Sef. "By the way, why didn't you tell me you're dating a WWE Superstar? We could have done something like this months ago."

"I didn't think it was important." She looked at Mike, a little embarrassed to be chastised by her boss over such a frivolous thing. "Anyways, nobody asked."

"You ought to be a comedian. I'll call you when you get home next week to set up a photo shoot. Until then, enjoy your new life as WWE Diva."

"Thank you, Sef. _Arrivederci." _The phone disconnected and Vince hung up the speakerphone.

"So, you'll do it."

"Yes. I will do it."

"Wonderful. You'll debut next week. Tonight, just relax and get familiar backstage."

"_Grazie_, Mr. McMahon."

"Please. Vince."

"Vince. _Grazie_." She stood and left first, needing to catch a deep breath in the hallway. Everything had happened so quick and had been so unexpected. What if she couldn't do it? Mike went to join her when Vince called out to him.

"Yeah?"

"Good looking girlfriend you got. Good going."

"Thanks," Mike blushed, letting himself out.

Maryse's jaw dropped when Cristina entered the Divas locker room, looking completely out of place. Eve, Natalya and Beth squealed, rushing over to her and giving her a hug. They were like a bunch of teenagers when they got together. "I know what Vince wanted to talk to you about," Natalya teased, a sparkle in her eye. Cristina looked at her, surprised. "What did you say?"

"_Si_."

"Whoot!" Eve hollered. "New Diva! Barbie, come here - there's someone you need to meet."

Barbie Blank, better known as Kelly-Kelly, approached, shaking Cristina's hands. "This is Cristina Cannellucci, Miz's girlfriend. She's going to be staying with us for the interim." Eve looked straight at a seething Maryse. "She's going to be Mike's new manager." Maryse's eyes widened. Cristina felt so out of place. Seeing Maryse again had made her nerves jump.

"You going to be on TV tonight?" Beth asked. She shook her head.

"Vince said next week."

"Great. We should probably get you Diva-fied this week," Eve said with a grin. "Girl's day when we get home?" Cristina nodded. She could use one. "Thursday? I'll give you a day or two to defrag after all the flying you've been doing."

"That would be appreciated."

Maryse was still giving Cristina the evil eye. Eve and Natalya could tell that Cristina was tense just being in Maryse's presence. Eve knew why. She wondered if Maryse was going to start causing trouble for Cristina and Mike. After eighteen months, Eve had a feeling that Maryse was still not ready to let it go. She had to be a winner.

With an aggravated scream, Maryse threw her duffel bag at the wall. "_C'est ridicule!_" she howled. Dolph Ziggler watched her from his spot on the bed, the blankets covered to his waist. He knew why she was so angry; the word making the rounds backstage was that Mike's new girlfriend was set to manage Mike on TV, meaning she would be backstage for a while. Maryse was not taking the news well.

"Chill out," he said absently, flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Do you not get it? She's here to ruin my life! She's here to rub it in my face that she won, she took him from me." She shook her head. "What the hell would I expect for you to understand for? Get out." Maryse stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. In minutes, Dolph could hear her sobbing in the bathroom. Shrugging, not really caring enough to check on her, Dolph slid into his jeans, pulling on his T-shirt and leaving the hotel room with his shoes in his hands.

"Did you see the look on Maryse's face when Cristina walked into the Divas locker room?" Natalya asked Eve. Beth rooming with Phil had left Nattie without a partner. Eve had stepped in, considering that she didn't have anybody to room with. Down the hallway, Cristina was conked out with Mike, the two of them unbelievably jetlagged.

"Priceless! God, Maryse is such a bitch," Eve snickered.

"Has Cristina ever met Maryse."

"Yeah. It didn't end up being very good for Cristina."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Natalya knew something bad had happened, but Eve wasn't going to divulge anything further out of respect for Cristina. Natalya rolled on her side to face Eve.

"How serious do you think Mike and Cristina are?" Natalya asked.

"Why? You interested?"

"No. Of course not!" Natalya was in a long term relationship with Tyson Kidd, but he was on _SmackDown_, and she had been needed for _Raw. _"I just mean if Maryse starts causing problems, do you think Mike would ever go back to her?"

"I wouldn't allow it. Anyway, I'd say he's pretty serious with Cristina. I mean, it's been eighteen months and I've never seen them fight." Natalya nodded; in fact, it just seemed as though Cristina enjoyed spending her time doting on Mike. Then again, how often did she really see him? It was the same thing with Eve's relationship. It took a special person to understand what it was like to be with a WWE Superstar. Eve knew that Cristina was that special person for Mike.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Maryse entered her empty home in Los Angeles, California, and promptly dropped her bags in the main foyer. Looking up at the ceiling, she murmured something to herself in French, still cursing the fact that not only did Cristina have a WWE contract, but she had her boyfriend as well. She hated Cristina so much that she didn't think it was humanly possible. Cristina Cannellucci had taken everything from her. Maryse wanted to make her suffer.

Tonight, she was supposed to get another visit from John, who was fighting with Melina again. Maryse offered him a safe haven for a few hours before he would return to Melina. She needed to work out some aggression anyway. Why would Vince do such a horrible thing to her?

Disappearing upstairs to her bedroom, she changed out of her jeans and tank top into a slinky hot pink dress, fixing her white-blonde hair in a high ponytail. She touched up her lip gloss and gave herself a spin in front of the mirror. "Mike doesn't know what he's missing now, but he will soon."

She went downstairs and fixed herself up a glass of lemon water, leaning against the kitchen counter while she drank. Since seeing her on Monday, Maryse had been unable to get Cristina off of her mind. Of course, Eve and her bevy of blonde freaks had been happy to see Cristina. "Losers of a feather flock together," Maryse said to no one in particular, putting the glass down on the counter.

What she needed to do was to prove to Mike she's changed. She needed to play it coy. It was going to be her only option, otherwise she was going to lose him forever.

"You have such beautiful hair," the redheaded hairdresser told Cristina, running her fingers through it and fluffing it out.

"_Grazie." _

"What do you think we should do with it?"

"Layers. Maybe some side swept bangs. She'd look really good with that." The hairdresser nodded and started. Eve was sitting beside Cristina with tin foil in her hair. She was having her light brown hair streaked with blonde.

It had been a good girl's day for Cristina and Eve. First thing in the morning, Eve had picked up Cristina for breakfast. She had been reluctant, but Mike had sent her off, telling her to have fun with Eve. Cristina had eaten a jam-packed omelette, all the while laughing with Eve about the trauma Mike suffered at the hands of her mother.

Afterwards, they had gone to the hairdresser. Cristina was in dire need of a haircut anyway. "So, we need to take you out after this and get you something to wear for your big TV debut."

"Oh, do you work with Eve?" the hairdresser asked.

"She will for the next little bit. She makes her debut Monday."

"Very nice. Are you excited?"

"_Si_." When she was finished with Cristina's hair, she had to admit that she loved the new look. Her hair was now just past her shoulders, layered and spunky. Very rocker chic. Sef would love the hairstyle when he saw her for the photo shoot. Her eyes were sparkling. "I love it," she said, much to the relief of the hairdresser.

With her hair done and Eve's streaks finished, they paid and decided to go for lunch at some small café before they went to find the perfect outfit for Cristina's debut Monday night. Eve took her to a small boutique where she picked up a lot of her photo shoot stuff for WWE. Cristina gravitated towards the black dresses, which Eve didn't mind. If Mike weren't a total heel, then she would have had an objection.

They settled on a dress that was fairly elegant, but not too dressy. Spaghetti strapped with a sweetheart neckline and a billowing layered skirt. In black, of course. "I won't be overdressed, will I?" Cristina asked as she paid for the dress. Eve shook her head.

"Nah. I can see Mike on TV with someone who looks the part like he does. You know with the suit." Cristina nodded.

"The look of a champion," Cristina mimicked, prompting Eve to laugh.

"I love it."

At the end of the day, Cristina walked back into the house, exhausted. Mike had ordered pizza for dinner and was sitting in the kitchen, reading over the current issue of WWE Magazine. He looked up, his blue eyes sparkling when he saw her. "Hey, Cris - how was your day with Eve?"

"Good."

"I love your hair," he said, standing, approaching her. He wrapped her in his arms and gave her a kiss. Cristina sighed, falling into it, just like she always did. Her arms snaked around his neck. Mike pulled back, smiling, kissing the tip of her nose. "Love the hair. Suits you."

"_Grazie_, Michael."

"What's in the big bag?"

"I picked up a dress for Monday. I didn't know what to wear to go with you. Especially if you're wearing a suit." Mike smiled.

"Well? Can I see it?" She unzipped the bag, revealing the simple evening gown. "I love it. You're going to look so good in it."

"_Grazie_." Cristina placed the dress over a stool in front of the island counter and joined Mike at the kitchen table. "Pizza…man, I have eaten so much junk food today." Like Mike cared; she ate and ate and ate and never seemed to gain an ounce. He couldn't believe it. She took two pieces of deluxe pizza and put them onto a plate as Mike poured her a glass of soda. "Eve is a bad influence."

"You're just realizing this now?" he teased, handing her the glass. She giggled. "What did she do this time?"

"The dress, the hair…the junk food."

"Doesn't sound that bad," Mike replied, "Besides, I love the hair. The dress is going to look hot." She blushed, looking out the kitchen window at the beautiful California view outside. "Are you nervous?"

"_Si_. I can't help think that perhaps I'm making a mistake."

"You aren't."

"I'll be sharing a locker room with Maryse."

"You'll be sharing a locker room with _me_," he informed her. That seemed to make her feel a little bit better. "Are you really worried about Maryse?"

"Do you think she would make trouble with me?" she asked. Mike shrugged. It was hard to say. He noticed the looks she gave him backstage at the arena, the sad, lost, withered looks. Maryse seems to have forgotten that she had been cheating on him with just about everybody. The embarrassment had almost been too much to live down, but having Cristina fixed things for him.

She was the kind of girl he could watch a movie with. The kind of girl that could take long road trips and keep him entertained. Eve was absolutely taken with Cristina. There didn't seem to be a person around who didn't like her. That was only going to spell some good things for her when she started touring with _Raw. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"_Mi sento ridicolo."_

"Oh, you're being dramatic. Hold still." With a deep, aggravated sigh, Cristina sucked in a breath as Eve zipped up the black evening gown. Jane had already done Cristina's makeup, though it was much too light for her typical taste of black racoon eyeliner. Her hair had been done stylishly, left down and flared stylishly around her face, Farrah Fawcett-style.

"What if I can't do this, Eve?" she asked, her eyes wide with fear. Eve smiled.

"You'll do fine, Cris. Just be thankful you're not going to be out there dancing in a bikini." Cristina cocked an eyebrow at Eve, who grinned. Cristina decided it was probably better that she left it alone. She surveyed her reflection in the mirror. The dress looked amazing, clinging to her every curve. "Are you going to be okay?" Eve asked. Cristina looked as though she were ready to start hyperventilating. Cristina nodded.

"_Si_. I'm just shocked. I never thought I would be doing this." She thought about Maryse's expression at her appearance in the locker room last week. Cristina felt the same was as Maryse did, but she knew better than to try and rattle Maryse's cage. She had heard that Maryse had some fighting experience. Cristina was unsure if Maryse ever learned that Cristina had been pregnant, and frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted Maryse to leave her alone.

"When are you supposed to be interviewing Jim?"

"Next week. Mike said I should talk to Randy Orton. He said our musical tastes are somewhat similar." Mike was going to introduce them after the show when they went for some drinks. They were going to be joined by an Irishman named Stephen, Eve and Beth. She was going to need her notebook to write down their musical tastes, inspirations and so forth. "I feel overdressed."

"Oh, you look fine. Cut it out." There was a knock on the locker room door and a tech entered.

"Cristina, Mike needs you at the Gorilla."

"Gorilla?"

"Just follow the tech," Eve said. Cristina nodded and followed.

* * *

><p>Maryse watched with aggravation as Cristina and Mike walked out to the ring together, the commentators asking who the beautiful woman with Mike was. Jerry Lawler announced that she was a reporter with <em>Kerrang!<em> magazine. She watched in disgust as she cheered Mike on in his match against Evan Bourne. Maryse suppressed a giggle when she saw Cristina standing like a deer in the headlights. A girl like Cristina wasn't made for the life of a professional wrestling Diva.

The locker room door opened and Brie and Nikki walked in. "Wow. That's quite the dress," Brie commented, sitting down.

"Overdressed much?" Maryse snarled, rolling her eyes. "Everybody is going to ride the Cristina Train now, huh? What the hell does Mike see in her?" Brie and Nikki both found her attractive. They didn't say a word in the event that Maryse jumped on them, the way she had been Beth, Natalya and Eve.

* * *

><p>With the match over, Mike brought Cristina into the ring and she raised his arm in victory. Maryse smiled in self-satisfaction as a hail fall of boos surrounded the ring. She didn't care if it was for Mike because he was a heel; she was just happy that it wasn't all accolades and cheers for his precious little princess.<p>

"That was so nerve-wracking," Cristina confessed sheepishly, sitting down at a table. Mike talked her into staying in her dress. She felt ridiculous being so overdressed at a bar, but she couldn't say no to Mike and his blue eyes. She was seated between Cristina and Randy Orton. John Cena had even opted to join them, after learning she was a music reporter. Cristina had been receptive; the more people she could talk to with versatile tastes, the better. In front of her, she had a glass of red wine, Eve had a daiquiri, Beth had a margarita, and there were two big pitchers of beer in the middle of the table. Everybody was laughing, in a great mood.

"So, everybody. What was one album here that blew your mind?" Cristina asked over the noise. There was a live band playing oldies cover songs that weren't very good.

"Metallica. _Black Album_," Randy replied, sipping his beer. "I still fucking love that album."

"Def Leppard's _Hysteria,_" Mike replied.

"I knew that," Cristina teased, sticking out her tongue at Mike.

"_License to Ill_," John Cena answered. Randy outright laughed at John.

"Eighties rap was the shits," Randy replied. "Everybody fucking though they were Run DMC or some shit. They didn't rap; they just yelled at you like they were Avril Lavigne or something." Cristina laughed. "Don't forget about Pantera's _Far Beyond Driven."_

"_Vulgar Display of Power_," Cristina argued.

"Screw that - _Cowboys From Hell_," the Irishman identified as Sheamus argued.

"Can we just agree Pantera was ahead of their time?" Cristina inquired. Everybody nodded, clinking their glasses together, John the rap lover included. "_Walk_ is an anthem."

"Your girl's got some great music taste there, Mike," Randy informed him. Mike beamed.

"What album blew _your _mind, Cristina?" Eve asked. Cristina didn't even bat an eyelash.

"_The Phantom Agony. _Epica. 2003."

"You dig on that operatic stuff?" Beth asked. "Like Nightwish?" Cristina made a waving motion with her horizontal hand.

"Sort of. Not a _Nightwish _fan. I have tried. I just never got into it. I'm a bigger _Epica _and _Within Temptation_ fan than anything else. _Sirenia_ is another really good band. I believe they're Dutch, but the singer is Spanish. They make such beautiful music together."

"Do you listen to any American bands?" Randy asked. Cristina nodded.

"_We Are The Fallen_. _Evanescence_. I appreciate your grunge movement in the 1990s. Disturbed. I'm a little bit unsure of the nu metal movement that was here in the late 90s, early 2000s." Randy smiled. "I do not like Limp Bizkit."

"Very nice," John laughed.

"Wait a second - I thought I was doing the interviewing here!" Cristina laughed, sipping her wine.

"You seem very drawn to female vocalists," Sheamus commented. "Is there a reason?"

"I wanted to be a rock star. I guess I idolize them," Cristina replied sheepishly.

"You would have made a wicked rock star. What was the problem?" John asked.

"I can't sing."

"Oh, people have made careers on less here," John snorted. Cristina laughed. "You hear of Ke$ha?" Cristina looked confused.

"Ke$ha? No."

"Thank your lucky stars you haven't," Eve replied with a laugh. Everybody else nodded.

"Do you play an instrument?" Beth asked.

"I used to play piano."

"Why did you stop?"

"I got caught up with writing. Journalism," Cristina confessed. "I did a year and a half of college in Italy, then came here. That's where I got my start with _Metal Revolution_. I never thought in a million years that _Kerrang!_ would have taken notice of me."

"How was Italy?" Randy asked.

"Great, _grazie_."

"Do you have any siblings?" John asked. She nodded.

"_Si_. I have a younger brother named Andrea. He is a big wrestling fan."

"I bet he was jealous seeing you out in the ring tonight," Eve said. Cristina nodded. Looking over at Mike, she noticed he wanted to speak with her in private. Standing, she excused herself, as did Mike, leaving Cristina with the others.

"What is it? Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I just…when we get back to California, I need a hand with something, all right?"

"Yeah, sure. Anything. Can I say what it is?"

"You'll see," Mike promised. "I can't risk any word getting back to Cris." Eve stared at him in surprise, her eyebrow cocked. But she still nodded.

"Yeah. Just fire me off a text and let me know what the game plan is."

* * *

><p>Mike was walking back to his room to grab a sweater for Cristina. She was sitting in Randy Orton's tour bus, playing video games with John, Randy and Phil, who had joined them when their activities became sober. She had managed to talk to Phil about his love of punk music as well. He was pretty taken by Mike's girlfriend, who had an encyclopedia-calibre knowledge of music.<p>

Turning the corner, he came face to face with Maryse, who was dressed in blue jeans and a conservative blue sweater, her hair back in a bleached blonde ponytail. It took everything Mike had not to laugh at her; she never wore anything so conservative.

"_Bonjour, _Mike," she said, her voice soft and sweet. Mike tried to shrug her off, disappearing into the hotel room, but she followed him inside, getting in before the door shut her out. "I thought that we could speak."

"It's been a year and a half, Maryse. Get over it."

"Mikey, I miss you," she purred as he grabbed Cristina's sweater. She grabbed him by the shoulders. "Don't you miss me?"

"Not really, no. The diamond retailers probably miss _me_, though." He looked at her. How had he ever been in love with such a shallow, superficial woman? Her fingers fingered the loops of her jeans. "I gotta go. Cristina needs her sweater."

"Why didn't she grab it? What are you now, her bitch boy?" she taunted. Mike rolled his eyes.

"No. I volunteered." He went to leave, but she grabbed him, turning him into her. "Maryse, hands off. I'm not into you anymore, all right?"

"Mike, please, don't do this. I made a lot of mistakes. I need you."

"I'm sorry, Maryse, but I don't need you." He slipped out of her grasp and left the hotel room, cringing when he heard her wails following him down the hallway.

* * *

><p>In the wee hours of the morning, Mike and Cristina, both pleasantly buzzed, made their way back to their hotel room. Opening the door, Cristina was surprised to find the room completely ransacked, with Maryse sitting on the bed. The second her eyes rested on Cristina, they became full of hatred. The second Cristina's eyes fell on Maryse, she looked to Mike with a surprised look.<p>

"What the hell are you still doing here? What have you done?" Mike demanded.

"_Ragazza stupida_," Cristina snarled, her hands curled into fists.

"_Chienne stupide!" _Maryse growled. "You didn't tell us about her, Mike?"

"What? That you're being a total psycho and stalking me tonight? Is that what I'm supposed to tell her?" Mike scoffed. He looked at a confused Cristina. "She followed me in here. I expected her to leave, but I'm obviously an idiot."

"No argument here," Maryse replied.

"And you wonder why he left your _puttana culo magro,"_ Cristina snapped. Her temperature was rising. He had never seen Cristina get very angry before, and he had a feeling that things were about to become very, very interesting.

"How dare you?" Mike fished out his phone and texted Eve and Randy. _Need security up here. Stat. They have reunited. I repeat - THEY HAVE REUNITED. _He put away his phone and looked up as Maryse shoved Cristina.

"_Non mi toccare!_" Cristina snarled, shoving back. Maryse grabbed Cristina by the hair. There was a knock on the door as they stumbled further into the room. Randy and Eve entered quick, stopping in shock as they saw Cristina hit Maryse with one of the hardest punches that she had ever seen. Maryse went down like a sack of rocks. Randy cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't piss her off, Mike. _Ever_," Randy whispered to him. Mike nodded. Maryse got onto her hands and knees and Cristina gave her a hard kick in the ribs for good measure.

"_Per il mio bambino, e cagna!"_ Cristina cried. Eve, understand what Cristina had said, rushed forward, grabbing a shaking Cristina by the shoulders and pulling her away. Eve turned to Randy.

"Get her out of here - _now_!" Randy nodded and rushed to Maryse, picking her up and taking her out of the room. A nasty bruise was already forming on the side of Maryse's face, a light red bruise. Closing the door, Randy, Eve and Mike gathered around Cristina.

"_Odio quella cagna_," Cristina murmured hotly. Randy looked to Eve.

"What'd she say?"

"She hates that bitch."

"Hate's a strong word."

"Well, you have no idea what Maryse has done to this poor woman," Eve replied. "Cristina…Cristina…_ti senti di meglio_?" She shook her head.

"Tell her she has a killer hook," Randy whispered, even though he knew she spoke English. Eve sighed and snickered.

"_Randy dice che ha un gancio assassino."_ Cristina laughed.

"_Grazie." _Cristina flopped back onto the bed. What a night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

On a blustery morning, Mike and Eve met up with one another at the mall. Eve was dressed in a fluffy white turtleneck sweater and faded blue jeans, her light brown hair covered in a baseball cap. Mike was dressed in a checkered button-down shirt and blue jeans, looking like some sort of city mountain man. "Cristina let you leave the house like that?" Eve teased as Mike approached, his hands jammed into his pockets. He smirked.

"She's still sleeping. All the travelling has got her so tired out. She hasn't even caught up from the Italy trip yet." Mike snickered as he recalled Cristina asking him how he handled the time change differences as well as he did. Together, Mike and Eve walked through the sliding glass doors of the still semi-dead mall.

"So, do I get to know what's going on here?" Eve inquired as they walked towards the elevator.

"I'm going to propose to Cristina, Eve."

"I fucking knew it!" she exclaimed. Mike shook his head at her; her loud outburst had made a couple of people shoot Mike glares. He was unable to suppress his laughter, prompting Eve to get defensive. "What? I knew it, Mike!"

"I asked her dad for permission already. I was too afraid to ask her mom. She scares the hell out of me," Mike confessed. Eve laughed, but Mike knew that Giovanna Cannellucci would have instilled fear in Eve Torres as well.

"You asked her dad? Oh, my God, that's so sweet," Eve gushed as they stepped onto the second floor. "I can't believe it - you _do_ have a traditional and romantic bone in your body."

"Don't tell anyone about that, Eve - I do have an image to uphold."

"Bet you're not used to buying a diamond for a girl who _isn't _mad of you," Eve teased. Mike laughed. "Cristina wasn't mad about Maryse in the hotel room?"

"When I explained what happened, she understood. Thank God. She wasn't happy, but she was definitely way angrier at Maryse than she was at me." He laughed. "One of these days, she's going to lay out Maryse. And it's going to be the greatest thing I've ever seen."

* * *

><p>Cristina stretched out in bed, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight that poured into the room. Rolling over, she spotted a piece of paper on Mike's pillow. Sitting up, she picked it up, her eyes scanning over the letter. He had gone out for a little bit and promised to be back in the afternoon. Her face darkened; he hadn't said anything about going anywhere. She shook the bad thoughts out of her head; he had explained what had happened with Maryse. But Maryse had succeeded in placing something in Cristina's head.<p>

Stretching, forcing a smile on her face, Cristina started off her day by a nice hot shower, followed by styling her hair and applying her makeup. She dressed in a burgundy sweater dress and black tights. Cristina belted the sweater dress around her waist before going downstairs and settling on raspberry Pop Tarts for breakfast.

"What to do, what to do…?" Cristina murmured. She sat down in front of the TV and went through Netflix, resting on _Underworld_. The time seemed to move slow whenever Mike wasn't around, and this morning was no different. Wherever he was, she hoped he was having fun, and at the very least, not with Maryse. She texted Eve, but Eve was busy this morning, running an important errand. Cristina texted A-Ri and asked if he would keep her company. Twenty minutes he arrived, still walking with a tiny limp from his hip injury.

"Hey, Cris. You looked great out there Monday," he informed her, giving her a half-hearted hug.

"_Grazie_, A-Ri. Thanks for coming out. The time moves so slow when Mike is not around. Can I get you anything?" She fixed herself a cup of coffee. Mike wanted one as well, so she made him a cup, handing it to him. "I wonder what Michael is doing. He was gone when I woke up. I can't believe I didn't hear him, but this jet lag has been murder. My body just can't adjust."

"I heard you had a run-in with Maryse on Monday." Cristina nodded. "You okay?"

"Yeah. My hand is a little bit sore, but it's nothing compared to what I'm sure her face is looking like," Cristina answered. Alex smirked. "I can't help but be…afraid…about her in the hotel room."

"Mike would not go back to her," Alex assured her. Cristina nodded. "So you socked her, hey?"

"I told her not to touch me. She was warned."

* * *

><p>Maryse lay in her pink canopied bed with an icepack held to her face and her ribs. That bitch had mutilated her, had hurt her beautiful face. The trainer told Maryse that her ribs had been bruised from Cristina's kick. It hurt to sit, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to do anything. All Maryse could do was lay in her bed and seethe.<p>

Mike had rejected her. Cristina had him so wrapped around her little un-manicured finger that it wasn't even funny. Maryse fingered the diamond necklace around her neck, the last one Mike had given her and sighed, wincing in pain as another jolt shot through her ribcage. "_Bitch_," Maryse hissed.

She wondered if there was anything more she could do now to get him back. Maryse despised the fact that Mike was so devoted to the little Italian bitch, with her wannabe gothic angst appearance. Was she angst-ridden? Maryse didn't really know, and frankly, she didn't care. She didn't want to know Cristina Cannellucci. She just wanted Cristina out of the picture, deported back to Italy where she could stay until she died. Losing Mike was devastating to her, but she wasn't sure if there was something more, or anything more, she could do to get him back.

* * *

><p>"What about this one, Eve?"<p>

"For Christ's sakes, Mike, she's not a fussy girl. I think she'll like anything that comes from you," Eve replied. Mike nodded; he knew it was true. But it still didn't make him any more satisfied with Eve's answer. It was a copout.

"What do I have you here for again?"

"A second opinion."

"Yes, so please exercise it, all right?" He pointed a princess cut. "What about this one?"

"What about this one?" Eve picked up a beautiful circular diamond ring. Mike took the ring from Eve and twirled it around in his fingers. "It's cute, it's subtle. She's not a flashy woman, Mike. You know this." He nodded. "Have you thought about how you're going to do this?"

"No, not really."

* * *

><p>By the time Mike and Eve returned to Mike and Cristina's, Cristina and Alex were eating popcorn, onto <em>Underworld: Rise of the Lycans<em>. "Michael, you're home!" Cristina smiled. Standing, she rushed to Mike with purpose and hugged him tightly. "You were with Eve?"

"Yeah. I needed her to give me a second opinion on something that I wanted to get you." He winked at Eve as he reached into the bag and pulled out a brown leather jacket.

"Michael, it's beautiful," she breathed, taking the jacket from Mike. "But why?"

"Do I need a reason?" Cristina shook her head and tried on the jacket.

"How does it look?"

"Beautiful. I think you should use it for your photo shoot next week," Mike suggested. Cristina's eyes lit up and she nodded. She hugged him tightly. Pulling back, she put her hands in her pockets. Her face darkened. Mike smirked; she found it.

"Michael?"

She pulled out a small black box from the left pocket. Alex looked at Mike, surprised. Eve was doing her damnedest to keep a straight face. "I wanted to wait, but I really can't." Cristina opened the box, her breath taken away as she found a diamond ring inside. She looked up at Mike, confused. "Cristina, _sposiamoci."_

Cristina was stunned, to say the least. This was a marriage proposal. This meant that he wanted to be with her for the rest of their lives. Her mother would be pleased. She was pretty sure her father would be ecstatic. Andrea would be over the moon. This would be _their_ home. She would become Cristina Mizanin. Her eyes couldn't leave the ring. This was the last thing she had expected from Mike.

* * *

><p>"Cris?"<p>

It was Mike. But she still couldn't stop looking at the ring. He and Eve had conspired to do this. This meant that Eve knew Mike was thinking about this. Her hands were shaking. Mike shot a worried glance at Eve. "Cris?"

"_Si_." Mike felt the breath rush out of him in relief. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. A wide, brilliant smile crossed her face. "_Si_," she repeated, laughing. Mike rushed over to her, taking the ring out of the box and sliding it on her ring finger. He hugged her tightly, swinging her around. Mike put her down when she accidentally took a lamp off the nightstand. It broke into big pieces, and everybody began to laugh. Mike took the ring out of the box and slid the ring on her finger as Alex and Eve cheered for her.

Cristina was in a daze. She couldn't believe it. Mike laughed at the expression that seemed to stay on her face as Alex and Eve charged into their moment, babbling excitedly about Mike and Cristina's budding future together.

"Cristina! Hello!"

Cristina smiled as she heard the familiar voice of her father Giuseppe. She was sitting up in her office to make a couple phone calls before she went out to dinner for a group "engagement party" with Alex and Eve. Her boss at _Kerrang!_ had been ecstatic, her mother had started demanding to know wedding details that hadn't been planned out yet. Now, it was just up to her to tell her father. "Hello, Dad. I wanted to call you and tell you that I'm engaged."

"He finally asked, hey? I was starting to wonder."

"What?"

"Yeah, he asked if he could when you guys were here. I figured he was going to propose when you guys were out here, but obviously he held off for whatever reasons. I'm really happy for you, Cristina. You two seem like a good fit together."

"I know."

"You okay?"

"Si. In a daze," she confessed with a nervous laugh. "I will post pictures of the ring on Facebook later so everybody can see it."

"That sounds great. When you guys set up a date, let me know so I can book time off to come and walk you down the aisle." Cristina smiled; the idea of having her family out in America for her wedding was like a dream come true.

"I hate to do this, but I should let you go. Our friends Alex and Eve are taking us out for dinner. Celebratory thing."

"Enjoy your day, Cristina. I love you and miss you."

"I love you and miss you, too, Dad." She hung up the phone and stared at the ring on her finger. It was going to take her a little bit of time to get used to the ring on her finger.


End file.
